We sat down in the stands, munching on snacks, until it was almost time to leave work.
I can't bring myself to drink alcohol, but I'm okay with just snacks and drinks.
Since Tia's SNS appearance was already confirmed at the moment she bought the apple candy, there was no need to worry about her body being spared.
The student council seemed determined to get us out, but they couldn't bring themselves to attack the investigative authorities.
Wasn't the original university festival something that outsiders could enjoy freely?
Moreover, we were turning a blind eye to the numerous illegal activities taking place in real time at this festival.
'I don't care about the little things. Just focus on the big things.'
"Excuse me, senior. Aren't the student council guys going to file a complaint later?"
Alice, who was called senior by the Hunter Department students who were forming a sort of siege, snickered.
She also came with me and gained some know-how.
"Where should I file my complaint?"
"Well, I guess we'll put it in the association, right?"
"Our special forces don't have a complaint center. How can we do our job if we have to receive complaints every time we arrest a criminal?"
To begin with, the Hunter Association itself is not an organization that is very good at handling complaints.
The Hunter's Association has a very short history and is isolated from other government departments, making it notorious for being very independent and unfriendly.
To control hunters with such great power, one must have this level of authority.
I asked Seo Ji-yu, sipping Fanta next to Tia, who was so happy.
"Hey, you scammer."
"Yes, I have caught the embezzler and fraudster."
"You said you embezzled money directly from the festival? Was it the student council? I didn't see it that way."
"It was accounting. The student council also needed someone who was good at their job."
"So, what are the main ways people embezzle at festivals?"
These festivals are basically cash-based, so they're perfect for embezzlement...
Anyway, most of the stores that run bars are barely able to break even.
Although S University's festival is quite famous, it is not crowded with outside guests.
Seo Ji-yu answered my words confidently.
"Usually, those kinds of performance events are the main events."
"Are you talking about inviting celebrities?"
"Yes. Indie bands don't really care because they're practically free, no matter how many bands you invite. But famous singers get paid around 40 million won for a 20-minute performance. They usually sing three or four songs in 20 minutes."
I looked through today's performance pamphlet while listening to Seo Ji-yu's explanation.
As the times are what they are, most of the celebrities who appear are hunter celebrities.
I can see a lot of names I recognize, so I guess I spent a lot of money.
"Alice, come on."
"what?"
"Does anyone among the cast know their appearance fees? Even a rough estimate would be nice."
"Oh, these kids are part of our guild. Should I ask them?"
Just as Alice was about to read the name on the pamphlet, a group of hunters quickly approached from afar.
The performers who were scheduled to appear in today's performance came to see Alice and say hello.
Even though Alice's career is a bit short, she is treated as a senior because she is an S-rank hunter belonging to the same guild.
"Hey, Alice, why are you here? Did you come to see us?"
It was quite a peculiar sight to see a celebrity who looked at least five years older than Alice greeting her with such respect.
Alice pretended not to see me laughing and asked them quietly.
"I stopped by for a bit while I was working. I'm a little embarrassed to ask this, but... how much did you all get paid to come here?"
"Hey. I feel bad for being in the same guild. I think I received around 2,000?"
"Wow, that's a lot. I have 1,500."
"We also have 2,000."
I called 3 teams and it's already 5,500.
It is understandable why Seo Ji-yu expressed that he was the main character of the festival.
It is said that many of these universities spend more than 30% of their festival budget on inviting celebrities.
I thanked Alice and continued asking questions to Seo Ji-yu.
"The appearance fee is definitely high."
"Right? Even the strongest hasn't arrived yet."
"But the appearance fee comes from the tuition anyway, right? How can you embezzle it?"
When I asked a crucial question, Seo Ji-yu laughed evilly.
"It's good because it's tuition."
"what?"
"Since the cost of hiring someone will come out of the festival budget anyway, there's nothing to regret. So, we should pay them generously and receive a rebate in return. If you're getting paid 2,000 or 4,000 won per event, why not give them a rebate?"
"So how much rebate do you get?"
"At least 10%. If you get rebates from other sources besides performances, you can quickly save up about 2,000."
"It wasn't a joke that if you can't even afford a car as student body president, you're considered a retard..."
As I was listening, my throat suddenly felt parched and I emptied my paper cup.
Tia, who was politely holding a plastic bottle next to me, filled my cup as soon as it was empty.
"They're charging extra for this premium zone... Their tactics have evolved. I wish I'd done something like that a long time ago."
"Tracking the bankbook would be useless, right?"
"Of course. Who gets a rebate in their bank account? It has to be in cash."
"How about raiding the scene?"
"You should have received the rebate a long time ago."
Alice overheard our conversation and was startled.
"Wait a minute, there's no way our guild would give you something like that, right?"
"Are you 100% sure?"
"Do you know what Winter Kingdom's market cap is? The entertainment business is only a small part of our guild. And anyway, the Hunter celebrity side is completely controlled by another company, so we don't need to receive rebates or anything, and we have plenty of work. We don't even need to go to university festivals like this."
Now that I hear it, that's true.
Things have changed a lot since the past when arrogant and dirty gangsters roamed the entertainment industry.
Of course, despite all that, unfortunate incidents like the Daebaeda Lee Jae-han incident did occur...
That was already several years ago.
It wouldn't be surprising if the entertainment industry had developed a little over time.
"Besides, we caught Lee Jae-han and swept away that line too, right?"
"yes."
Seo Ji-yu also nodded to Alice's words shortly after.
"It's no longer an environment where you can receive rebates. After all, most of the Hunter celebrities who deserve to be invited to events are affiliated with the two major agencies."
"Two major agencies? One is Winter Kingdom's own company, and what's the other one?"
"You know, Shin So-i belongs to..."
"Oh, there?"
Shin So-ra, the victim of the Daebaeda Lee Jae-han incident, is still vivid in my memory.
I suddenly started feeling very anxious.
The student council of S University is a bunch of thugs who tried to falsely accuse Hunter students.
There's no way those third-rate trash guys would just give up because they couldn't get a rebate.
They must have tried to generate revenue in other ways.
Selling premium seats can be seen as part of that, but the scale is too small.
Even if you fill that small space with 10,000 won per person, it won't even be 300 people.
"Then how on earth are you planning to embezzle it?"
"Well, it's almost show time..."
"Wait a minute. The other celebrities haven't arrived yet. The only ones who have arrived now are those from Winter Kingdom."
"what?"
I barely noticed the anomaly in Lee Seo-woo's comment.
Certainly, it is too late.
No matter how expensive the body is, it should have arrived by now.
So that we are afraid to have doubts.
The student council has started issuing notifications.
[Ah, Mirei, who was scheduled to attend today's event, was in a car accident and was unable to attend... I hope all fans can rest assured that it was a minor car accident and there were no serious injuries.]
"Huh? Mirei isn't coming?"
"What are you talking about when you even sold the tickets!"
"Well, but all the other celebrities came..."
"If it's a traffic accident, there's nothing we can do."
Mirei is the celebrity who was supposed to be the main character of today's event.
While the audience gathered around the stage early on were making noise.
We looked at each other's faces in a moment of exquisite timing.
"Wait a minute. Where does Mirei belong?"
"It's the same guild as Shinsoi."
"I should make a phone call."
When I called the guild and gave my name, the receptionist looked very embarrassed and put the phone away.
Soon, the person who answered my call was none other than Shin So-yi.
I think they connected me because they thought I was calling about the big ocean.
Shin So-i greeted in a calm, subdued voice.
[Hello, Detective. It's been a while.]
"Ms. Shinsoi. I was really rude back then."
No. I gained courage thanks to the investigator's words and Senior Yeriel's encouragement. In fact, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it.
"Don't say that."
I belatedly apologized for the verbal abuse I had hurled at her and got back to the point.
"By the way, have you heard the news that Mirei, who is in the same guild, was involved in a traffic accident?"
"Huh? That can't be. Mirei is right next to me."
"..."
I finally realized what had happened.
The S University festival organizers didn't even invite Mirei from the beginning.
They probably planned to put up an advertisement first, then say that he couldn't attend due to a car accident, and then swallow up the cost of the casting when interest waned.
Mirei is a top-tier hunter celebrity whose appearance fee starts at 4,000, so even if she takes just a little bit, it will be a big profit.
"They didn't even pay for the recruiting fees from the beginning. Even if they were caught later, they probably planned to just say it was the manager's mistake and move on."
The techniques are quite crude, but since they are college level anyway, I guess we can't expect too much.
I explained the whole story to Mirei and Shinsoi and asked for their cooperation.
Fortunately, as soon as Mirei heard the news, she went wild and showed her willingness to ask for help.
"Thank you. Then please wait a moment."
"Tea, Team Leader. Can't you investigate us civilians?"
When Lee Seo-woo tried to stop me urgently, I nodded without hesitation.
"I can't. So I won't investigate."
"yes?"
"I should have done better when I followed the rules. It would have been better to have been formally investigated..."
Those who prefer this kind of shortcut think they are the only ones who are better.
They think other people are stupid and lazy and don't do things like they do.
I decided to betray those expectations.
"Blanche."
[yes!]
As I whispered softly, the screen behind the student council members who were calming the crowd suddenly turned on.
In the brightly lit screen, Mirei and Shinsoi were sitting side by side, waving their hands.
"Wow, waaaa!"
"What? Turn it off right now!"
"It won't turn off! The screen won't even come up!"
With the stage set broken, Mirei calmly finished her greetings and delivered the truth.
Hello everyone. Are you enjoying the S University Festival? But something's strange. I've never been invited to the S University Festival, let alone been in a car accident...
"Wait a minute. What does that mean?"
"Weren't you in a car accident?"
"Mirei... wasn't coming? Was she lying?"
Most of those who purchased premium tickets were fans who had been targeting celebrities from the beginning.
When they realized that they had been tricked, they were furious without hesitation.
"Catch those bastards! They're scammers!"
"Give me my admission fee back!"
"You collected a special membership fee to invite a famous celebrity, but you didn't invite him?"
"Let's kick out the student council! Impeach! Impeach!"
The tyranny of the student council was so severe that the students, who could no longer bear it, began to rise up.
The Hunter College students rushed towards me.
Among them, the president of the society shamelessly asked me a favor.
"Detective! Please catch those guys! They've clearly been caught embezzling money."
"Special forces cannot arrest civilians."
"Huh? That, that's..."
Crack!
The next moment, I slapped the president of the association.
He was hit once, but he didn't know what to do, so he just stood there in a daze.
"Is this your university or mine?"
"That, that..."
"You chose S University! Either endure it even though it's dirty and deadly, or drop out if it gets too much trouble, or change it with your own hands... You have to choose for yourself. No one will take responsibility for your choices!"
Only then did the Hunter College students realize the true spirit of college life and stand up with clenched fists.
Moments later, the stage where the student council members had gathered began to burn with Molotov cocktails.
They desperately cried out for help, but there was no response.
"Marines! Where did the Marine Corps Comrades Association that used to provide security support go?"
"Those kids already ran away!"
"Bring those con artists down!"
Having completed our mission, we left the school with a much lighter feeling.
The schoolyard, with its Molotov cocktails flying everywhere and the Marine Corps comrades' counter-charge taking place, looked much more familiar than before.
"It's finally starting to feel like a university. It seems like there's still hope for S University."
"Where on earth are you looking?"
"Master, it feels like a real festival now!"
Tia, who was very excited by the chaotic atmosphere, held my hand and danced excitedly.
I started working late, hanging out with the guy.